Indian couple seeks son’s release from Pakistan jail

Amritsar, Dec 3 (IANS) An elderly couple, whose son is lodged in a Pakistani prison despite completing his jail term, is seeking “justice” from Pakistan’s visiting foreign policy adviser to get him released.

The Mumbai-based couple are camping in Amritsar, bordering Pakistan, with a hope and an appeal.

Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz is visiting Amritsar to participate in the ministerial deliberations of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process on Sunday.

Eight foreign ministers and dignitaries of 14 participating countries are attending the summit that would also see the attendance of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.

“We are here just to get justice for our son who has been languishing in the central jail in Peshawar,” Fauzia Ansari, mother of a 32-year-old Indian national Hamid Ansari, told IANS.

“I would again appeal to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sartaj Aziz to release our son on compassionate grounds as he has suffered a lot,” Nehal said.

He said lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar of Pakistan was contesting his son’s case without charging any fees.

A habeas corpus was moved in a court in Peshawar. On January 13, the court declared the deputy attorney general of Pakistan had submitted a report saying Hamid was in custody of the army, tried by court and awarded a three-year jail sentence.

Nehal said his son was neither given consular access nor allowed to talk to his family in Mumbai.

“Even we have not been given a visa to visit Pakistan to meet him and extend legal help to him,” an emotional Nehal said with wet eyes.